Amazon.com is a great place for small businesses and individuals to sell their new or old stuff to other Internet shoppers on the site. Millions of people use Amazon to buy things every day, so it shouldn’t be surprising that you can get in on some of the action yourself to earn some extra money. Of course, there are fees when it comes to selling on the site, including a fixed fee for selling of $0.99 and a varying percentage fee on the final sale price. However, Amazon does offer a Pro Merchant selling plan with some added benefits in comparison to the Individual selling plan for $39.99 per month. Is this selling plan worth the cost?
What is a Pro Merchant Account?
A Pro Merchant account offers some added benefits over the free Individual account. This selling plan comes at a price tag of $39.99 per month, so it isn’t for everyone. However, becoming a Pro Merchant waives the $0.99 selling fee for all orders. Sellers will be able to list items in bulk rather than doing individual listings for each item. On top of that, Pro Merchants can list new items on Amazon.com that aren’t already listed, unlike Individual sellers who can’t. Pro Merchants can list as many items as they want and may even be considered for Featured Merchant status. Also, Pro Merchants can customize their storefronts more than Individual sellers and can add sales or discounts.The Pro Merchant selling plan is definitely a beefed up account in comparison to the Individual selling plan.
My Experiences with the Pro Merchant Selling Plan
I have used Amazon’s Pro Merchant selling plan for about six months now. So then, I’ll get right down to the point and say that it does have its uses, but the price is a little steep for slow months. I sell around 50 to 60 items per month, so the waived $0.99 fixed fee has made up for my subscription cost on most months. I have never been a Featured Merchant or anything, so I don’t know how helpful that can be. As for adding new products, I have only done so once or twice, but it has been a handy tool because those items have sold well on Amazon.
Being able to do more with my storefront has been pretty nice too. Without a doubt, uploading a company logo has been pretty nice because customers can recognize said logo. I occasionally do sales and discounts, which draws in large numbers of orders whenever I choose to reduce prices. The bulk editing tools are amazing because I can change just about everything without the hassle of searching for products to update or change. Overall, the Pro Merchant selling plan has been a great experience for myself, but $39.99 might seem a bit steep for lower volume sellers or people who don’t use Amazon much to sell their items.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
Features: 6/10
Price: 6/10
Usefulness: 7/10
Should You Become a Pro Merchant?
Becoming a Pro Merchant was the right choice for me, but it might not be for you. Of course, $39.99 is a bit steep of a price if you do less then 50 or so sales per month. You need at least 40 sales per month to make up for the $0.99 fixed closing fee on all sales. For that reason, Pro Merchant subscriptions are only going to be useful for high volume sellers that use Amazon most of the time. Small-time sellers aren’t going to find the benefits of being a Pro Merchant aren’t all that useful. On the other hand, large volume sellers and small businesses are guaranteed to benefit from being a Pro Merchant. Just take stock of your personal situation and you will be able to decide whether or not this program will benefit you or your business.
For more information, visit Experienced and Volume Selling – Pro Merchant Accounts.
